Time of Dying
by byakushisakura
Summary: A great war just ended but at what cost


**Authors note: I do not own peacemaker or any of the characters**

The war was over or so they thought, the last man had fallen to the ground but was he really dead. Soji had his back turned to him as the leader of the opposing side got up and held his sword in both hands. He ran towards soji with his sword about to go right through him, he stopped abrubtly a few feet away when his sword pierced something else. He looked up into the eyes of a demon before his head was sliced off.  
Soji looked behind him just in time to see the tip of the blade exit his vice-commanders body. The next couple seconds seemed to last forever, he tried to call his name and run to him but he was being held back, everything was in slowmotion. He saw the mans head fly off and Hijikata looked at him, for a split second he thought everything would be okay. Then his world shattered, he noticed the blood trailing out the corner of his mouth and watched as the elder man collapsed onto the ground.

Tears started to fall uncontrollably as he managed to get out of the others grasp and ran to his fallen supperior. "N-no… n-no.. t-this can't be happening." He said as he knelt by his side and pulled out the sword. "You..y-you can't leave me like this." He held the man in his arms as he continued to cry.  
Hijikata looked at him and gave a weak smile. "S-soji.. please… don't…cry." He reached up and wiped a tear. He coughed slightly as more blood came out of his mouth, his lung had been hit.  
Soji tried to stop as he forced a smile, he kissed the elder man ignoring the blood coming from his mouth. "I-I love you." He said as he wiped the tears but they kept coming.

He coughed again. "I.. know… " He said as his body was getting weaker. "I… love… you… too." His voice was barely audible. "I-I'm.. s-so… sorry." He was trying to talk through the coughs. "T-thank.. you…f-for…everyth-" Hee couldn't finish the sentence as his breathing came to a stop.  
Soji kissed him one last time before placing him on the ground and closing his eyes, he buried his face in his lovers chest as he cried. The other captains tried to tear him away but he gripped the mans clothing tightly. He eventually fell asleep and both of them were carried back to HQ.  
He woke up in his own bedroom and sat up quickly, hoping it was just a dream. Ignoring the pain from his wounds and the fever he ran to the vice-commanders room only to find it empty. He collapsed at the dor and started crying again. He realized that it wasn't a dream, the man he loved was really gone forever. He noticed the haori laying a few feet away, he crawled over and hugged it, it still had his scent, he laid down and soon fell asleep.  
When he woke up he found that he was in his own room once more, still hugging the haori. He cried slightly, he knew someone was there with him, they were trying to talk to him. But he didn't want to look to see who it was and he didn't even try to liste to what they were saying.  
The funeral for the vice-commander was to be held later that day, Soji dragged himself out of bed and got dressed, drapping the haori over his shoulders. He stayed in the background, not wanting to talk to anyone. He clenched his fists as he tried to hold back the tears, but it was very hard. He left as soon as it was over and went back to his room.

Over the next couple days his disease got very bad. He wouldn't eat most of the time and his coughing fits kept him awake, he still hadn't spoken to anyone, it was as if he had given up on living.

One day just a couple weeks after the battle he managed to get out of bed and crawl to the tomb of his beloved. He reached up a shaky hand and traced the name in the stone, he started coughing and crying at the same time. He felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see the older man kneeling down with his arm outstretched. "Hijikata-san." He took the hand and stood up with the other. He hugged him and repeated his name quietly. "Hijikata-san."  
He could feel his feet lifting of the ground and thought it was the elder picking him up, but when he looked down he saw that they were floating. He could see his bode lying with a hand still on the stone as members of the shinsengumi ran over to check on him. He waved as he saw them trying to revive him, he noticed that there were several tears. "Don't cry for me, I'll see you all again someday."

Tetsu ran over as soon as he heard the news, he fell to his knees as he started crying. "Take care of everyone for me, Tetsunosuke-kun." He held on to Hijikata as they floated into the sky, to spend eternity together.


End file.
